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Beth Doe
|image = |sex = |race = |location = White Haven, Pennsylvania |found = December 20, 1976 |span = |postmortem interval = 7 Hours - 1 week |body condition = |age approximation = 14-25 |height approximation = 4'11 - 5'4 |weight approximation = 140 - 150 (while pregnant) |cause of death = }} Beth Doe was a pregnant teen or young adult who was found dismembered in Carbon County, Pennsylvania in 1976. Case The dismembered remains of a pregnant female were located near Interstate 80 by the bank of the Lehigh River. The victim had been strangled to death, and after she died, her killer had shot her in the neck. She had also appeared to have been raped, as she had suffered genital trauma, but it is unknown if this happened before or after her death. Her unborn daughter, at about nine months gestation, also died during the attack. A coroner ruled that the victim had died less than 24 hours prior to her discovery, but some estimates state that she could have been dead for as much as a week, and the cold temperatures may have preserved her remains. After her death, Beth Doe's body was sawed into a total of ten pieces; her torso, alone, was sawed into two pieces. Forensic analysis revealed that the fetus had been removed before the dismemberment took place and that the body had been cut with a fine, serrated tool by someone who was probably not professionally trained in medicine or anatomy, but who still was able to dismember her somewhat competently. Some of the body parts, such as half of the torso, were wrapped in newspaper, while others were wrapped in bedspread, and they were then placed inside of three suitcases without handles that appeared to have been spray-painted black. One suitcase contained her arms and legs, another contained her head and the fetus, and the last, her torso. Her nose, ears and breasts were severed and were never recovered. Although there was an attempt to disfigure her, perhaps to conceal her identity, she was still mostly recognizable upon discovery. Investigators feel that Beth Doe was killed by someone who was "very angry" with her and highly doubt that she was the victim of a random crime. Her killer then threw the suitcases out of their moving vehicle over a bridge, likely hoping they would land in the river below. They missed their mark, and two of the three suitcases (the ones containing the head, torso, and fetus) opened on impact, and were later found by a teenage boy on the riverbank and in the surrounding brush. 2019 developments In September 2019, investigators released they were investigating a possible link to sixteen-year-old Madeline "Maggie" Cruz, who had run away to New York from her foster family. Cruz was last heard from in 1976 when she called a friend, asking for money. Cruz admitted she was pregnant during the phone call. There is no information to confirm Cruz was an immigrant from Europe. On September 25th, Pennsylvania State Police announced that Cruz was located "alive and well". Characteristics * She had brown eyes * Her hair was a natural brown color. * At a younger age, she had "extensive" dental disease and had three teeth removed and many restorations. * She had severe decay on her teeth at the time she died. Only five of her teeth were free of restorations or decay. * Her upper right incisors was fractured, which would have been noticeable and very painful. * She had two moles on her face, one on the left cheek and above the left eyebrow, possibly developing during her pregnancy. ** Her 2015 reconstruction also illustrates a birthmark on the right side of her upper lip. This mark was not noted in other sources. * She had a scar above her right heel. * The letters "WSR" followed by the numbers 4 or 5 and 4 or 7 were written on her left hand with ink consistent with a pen. * Recent testing on her bones indicated that Beth Doe had spent time living in Europe and in Tennessee before she was murdered. Some believe she could have been of Czech, Polish, Italian or Jewish origin. Gallery NCMU1104191x1.jpg|The noses depicted are estimations Beth_Doe_original.jpg JPEG_of_Artist_Sketch.JPG Beth Doe.jpg|2002 reconstruction 169UFPA1.jpg BethDoeCarlK.jpg|Reconstruction by Carl Koppelman NCMU1104191x3.jpg|Enhanced image of the bedspread NCMU1104191x2.jpg|Enhanced image of suitcases 600 Suitcase2.jpg 137 bedspread photo 3.jpg 137 bedspread photo 2.jpg 137 bedspread photo 1.jpg Theories * She may have been murdered by the baby's father. * She may have been murdered abroad. Exclusions * Anna Banitskas * Iris Brown * Madeline "Maggie" Cruz * Valerie Cuccia * Teresa Fittin * Trenny Gibson * Rory Kesinger * Francis Leatherwood * Georgia Nolan * Sherry Roach * Mary Robinson * Patricia Seelbaugh * Denise Sheehy Sources * * * * *Pennsylvania Crime Stoppers *Morning Call *Clipping from Somerset Daily American, Jan. 1977 *Help ID Me announcement *Claudia Rivero TV Category:Female Category:People found in Pennsylvania Category:Teenagers Category:Young adults Category:1976 deaths Category:1976 discoveries Category:Homicide by strangulation Category:Recognizable faces Category:Pregnant Category:Dismembered Category:Mutilated Category:Reconstructed by NCMEC Category:Nicknamed Category:Cases over 40 years old Category:Possibly foreign Category:Possible runaways Category:Discovered near highways Category:Parents Category:Ties to Tennessee Category:Ties to Italy Category:Ties to the Czech Republic Category:Ties to Poland Category:Traumatic injuries Category:Current NCMEC cases Category:Borderline Category:Raped Category:1960s births Category:1950s births Category:Possible migrants Category:White